Australia Day

‘Lovely, isn't it? The water views? And there's something historical about the Harbour — go on, help yourself, there's heaps more prawns — of course in those days it was totally unimproved. But they brought in boatloads of crims — and screws, prostitutes, a few politicians to run the show and look after the profits. A set-up built to last.'

So spoke a Sydney business identity, over lunch on the water — oysters, chardonnay — ‘Another lobster, love?’ — while far below his former partner drifted fathoms deep through the blue gloom, in a concrete suit, to his final bottom-of-the-harbour scheme among the barnacles and the bones dozing in the wavering light.

A seagull sailed across a paler blue. The rigging tap-tapped against the mast; nearby, rich kids wasted a weekend on Daddy's yacht. ‘See that boat? The Sergeant here reckons it's full of buddha sticks, no risk; he's waiting for the appropriate moment to drop over and say g'day. It's gotta be the life of Riley. Go on, have another prawn.'